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Experienced boater and yacht dealer Grant Drummond says the incident of the 58-foot pleasure craft slamming into the CN Rail bridge at the Second Narrows Saturday is a warning to all mariners to exercise caution when approaching Burrard Inlet bridges.

Drummond, a boating consultant at Burnaby’s M&P Mercury Sales, was on the dock at Cates Park when Coast Guard and police vessels brought in the Hakuna Matata after it hit a bridge support.

Of the 15 passengers, one had a broken arm and others suffered minor injuries. The collision collapsed the vessel’s bow, causing major structural damage and it had to be towed to safety.

Drummond said he believes the boat was on autopilot at the time and that the strong currents swirling under the bridge overpowered the system, causing it to go off course and ram the bridge.

“I spoke with some of the passengers and that’s what they said had happened. I was told the operator was at the front of the boat with the passengers and when he realized it was running off course, he was unable to get back to the helm in time,” said Drummond.

“But that’s not a stretch of water where you can leave the helm. It’s not like you are in open water. There’s a bottleneck there as you go under the bridge and the current really rips through, especially during high tides like we had at the weekend.”

He said it was fortunate none of the passengers were thrown into the water during the collision.

“There are whirlpools in there that can suck a 40-foot log down. It’s very dangerous,” he said.

RCMP Cpl. Jamie Chung said the operator of the boat has been ticketed under the Canada Shipping Act. He would not confirm reports that the boat operator had the vessel on autopilot, and said it is an ongoing investigation.

Drummond said as far as he knows, there is a ban on boats being operated by autopilot within the limits of Vancouver Harbour.

“I guess if there’s a lesson to be learned, it’s that as the captain of a vessel you have to have control of it at all times. The regulations about the operation of autopilots are there for a reason,” he said.

“And when operating a vessel under bridges you’ve got to be extra vigilant.”

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Lessons to be learned from Second Narrows boating accident

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